The Final Frontier . . High Wind Kiting - Kitesurfarea.com

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I have started looking at some smaller kites than 7’s for
surfboards. I love high wind because bigger wind makes for bigger
swell. The hindering thing I feel in the “high wind” category of kites
is that most of them are made for training or smaller people. I want
a tiny performance kite that turns stupidly fast and can take
punishment. If you want to get the same power from a small kite
in high wind that you get from an average kite in normal wind, the
compensation for the load difference needs to be taken into
consideration. The load relative to the size is substantially
different. I think that as people find higher wind more appealing,
there will be a stronger demand on manufacturers to make gear
that performs.
]
Turkiewicz fully committed at the Spit.
Location: Hood River Lens: Pierce Louis
and I got some books on
vacuum bagging. I got a bunch
of medical vacuum pumps
cheap and got after it.
I ended up with a 3-layer
sandwich, 110 cm finless board,
with small flip tips.
It was a mix of all the
elements of construction and
desired ride characteristics I
wanted. It rode so nice, and I am
working hard to copy it for this
winter. The board is super fast,
loose, and light.
Line Madness
My lines were next. I started
hacking them down, so I could
turn faster and get more cuts on
swell.
I felt the board could change
directions faster than the kite on
traditional length lines, so I
shortened the window to match
it.
I also started sewing up my
own bar systems, with bomber
hardware that was matched to
my throw and reach. I again
spent the winter in Costa Rica; it
is so windy there, and I have
never in three years in the Gorge
seen wind like it.
Last winter, I kept going out in
higher winds and cutting down
the lines to turn faster and to
carry more kite.
I came back to the Gorge that
spring flying on 10 meter lines,
but it is never windy enough to
fly on those here, so I am flying
16 to 20 meters on most days.
Evolution of a
Gorge Surfboard
I had never flown anything
bigger than a 9 meter in Costa
Rica; big kites feel very slow, so
I started riding around on my
friend’s mini-tanker surfboard in
lighter winds on my smaller
kites.
I picked up a couple swap
meet surfboards when I got
back. I started riding those
exclusively — no matter the
wind. Gary Swanson of Cascade
Performance Fiberglass offered
to shape me boards after I
stopped in to bounce a few
ideas off him on a high wind
surfboard.
We ended up with a concept
of a traditional looking
performance short board that
has a shape and fin combo
tweaked to milk longer rides off
Gorge swell, and a beefed up
construction to take abuse.
The whole process was
amazing, especially watching
my new board being shaped.
After building boards myself,
seeing him fly through a blank
and end up with a perfect shape
so quickly was astonishing.
I think it makes you a better
rider to think about how you ride,
or want to ride, and to tweak or
build your equipment to help you
get there. Understanding all the
elements and dynamics at work
is a huge part of it.
Surfing the Gorge
My most memorable moment
was this spring during a huge
swell at the “Wall,” a great little
wave spot in the Gorge.
I can remember turning in the
trough and hitting the face of a
swell while my back lines were
poking through the back of the
wave in front of mine.
This has pushed me to want
to ride some bigger waves on
higher wind days. I think that
waves of any kind are where it’s
at, no question. I have recently
seen some amazing powered
freestyle riding.
The whole sport is
progressing. The kids that I had
never heard of last year are
absolutely killing it, with some of
the best riding I have seen in
person, pictures or film.
I want to add some of that
element to slash and burn on the
swell — linking those kinds of
moves on a swell would be the
ultimate style for me.
Sponsors include Wipika Kiteboarding, Hotel
Tilawa.com, Anarchy Eyewear,
Gary Swanson and Cascade Performance
Fiberglass.
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